Questair Technologies Inc.

Xebec Adsorption Inc.

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

The Boc Group, Inc.

Andrea C Gibbs

Bowie Gordon Keefer

James A Sawada

Matthew L Babicki

Brian G Sellars

Aaron M Pelman

Frank R Fitch

Alain Carel

Soheil Alizadeh-Khiavi

Carl F Hunter

Bernard H Hetzler

Belinda C Larisch

Ian S D Shaw

Frederick K Lee

Andre Boulet

Alberto I LaCava

Steven Mitchell Kuznicki

Surajit Roy

David G Doman

Edward J Rode

Amy Chiu

Jeffrey Alvaji

Andre J J Boulet

David G Dornan

Alberto I IaCava

Doman David G G

Alain A Carel

Steven M Kuznicki

Andre J Boulet

Alberto I Lacava

Guard layers are employed in the adsorbent beds of rapid cycle pressure swing adsorption (RCPSA) devices to protect the adsorbent therein from certain contaminants (e.g. water vapour). Conventional PSA devices typically pack the guard layer with as much guard material as is practical. In RCPSA devices however, the performance of the guard layer can be improved by using a reduced amount of guard material and increasing access to it. Such embodiments are characterized by guard layers with a channel fraction of greater than 50%.

Guard layers for rapid cycle pressure swing adsorption devices

Using zeolites as the active adsorbent, adsorbent laminates have been fabricated with various sheet supports. These adsorbent laminates have been successfully operated for oxygen enrichment at high PSA cycle frequencies, such as upwards of at least 150 cycles per minute. Methods for making suitable adsorbent laminates are described. The methods generally involve forming a slurry comprising a liquid suspending agent, an adsorbent and a binder. Laminates are made by applying the slurry to support material or admixing support material with the slurry. The slurry can be applied to support material using a variety of techniques, including roll coaters, split roll coaters, electrophoretic deposition, etc. One method for making laminates by mixing support material with the adsorbent slurry comprises depositing the slurry onto a foraminous wire, draining the slurry material, and pressing the material to form a ceramic adsorbent paper. Spacers can be formed on adsorbent laminates to space one laminate from another. The spacer dimensions can be uniform, or can vary along a laminate, such as increasing in height from a first end to a second end of the laminate. Gas flow-through apertures also can be formed on laminates. The laminates are adjacent one another to define flow channel between adjacent bodies, whereby a portion of a gas flowing through the flow channels flows through the apertures to facilitate pressure equalization in the adsorbent structure.

Adsorbent coating compositions, laminates and adsorber elements

Embodiments of a rapid cycle PSA apparatus are described that are useful for producing a hydrogen enriched product gas comprising not more than about 50 ppm carbon monoxide by volume and with a hydrogen gas recovery of at least about 70% by adsorptive separation from a syngas feed gas mixture comprising at least about 50 percent hydrogen and at least about 1 percent carbon monoxide by volume. One disclosed embodiment of a rapid cycle PSA apparatus comprised at least 3 adsorber elements each having at least one thin adsorbent sheet material which comprises at least one adsorbent material therein, and a bed size factor less than about 4.0 seconds. Embodiments of a rapid cycle PSA process also are described that utilize disclosed embodiments of the rapid-cycle PSA device.

Rapid cycle syngas pressure swing adsorption system

Improved adsorbent sheet based parallel passage adsorbent structures for enhancing the kinetic selectivity of certain kinetic-controlled adsorption processes, such as PSA, TSA and PPSA processes, and combinations thereof, are provided. The enhancements in kinetic selectivity made possible through the implementation of the present inventive improved adsorbent structures may unexpectedly enable significant intensification of selected kinetic adsorption processes relative to attainable performance with conventional adsorbent materials in beaded or extruded form. Such process intensification enabled by the present inventive adsorbent structures may provide for increased adsorption cycle frequencies, and increased gas flow velocities within the adsorbent beds, which may increase the productivity and/or recovery of a kinetic adsorption system incorporating the inventive adsorbent structures.

Engineered adsorbent structures for kinetic separation

Methods for their manufacture of adsorbent

Disclosed embodiments address contaminant management challenges that arise during production of desirably contaminant free product fluid in the operation of PSA equipment, and further address the more serious challenges that arise under intermittent operation of PSA equipment. One disclosed embodiment of a PSA apparatus, intended primarily for normal operating cycle speeds of at least 3 cycles per minute, includes a breather fluidly coupled to a feed end of an adsorber with a contaminant-sensitive adsorbent. The breather can be coupled to the feed end through a shutoff valve closed during production and open during shutdown. Other disclosed embodiments of the PSA apparatus used particular sealing strategies for additional sealing of the apparatus, or at least components thereof, from contaminant ingress.

PSA with adsorbents sensitive to contaminants

Disclosed embodiments address contaminant management challenges that arise during production of desirably contaminant free product fluid in the operation of PSA equipment, and further address the more serious challenges that arise under intermittent operation of PSA equipment. One disclosed embodiment of a PSA apparatus, intended primarily for normal operating cycle speeds of at least 3 cycles per minute, includes a breather fluidly coupled to a feed end of an adsorber with a contaminant-sensitive adsorbent. The breather can be coupled to the feed end through a shutoff valve closed during production and open during shutdown. Other disclosed embodiments of the PSA apparatus used particular sealing strategies for additional sealing of the apparatus, or at least components thereof, from contaminant ingress. For example, one embodiment comprises a buffer seal for receiving a buffer gas having a contaminant vapor content substantially the same as or less than a product gas produced by a pressure swing adsorption process over the adsorbers. The buffer chamber may have flushing circulation provided by delivered product flow. As a second example of sealing strategy, a parking seal can be used that typically is engaged when the apparatus is parked. The parking seal can be used alone, or in combination with other contaminant management features. Embodiments of a method for reducing adsorbent degradation by contaminant adsorption while producing a product gas also are described comprising providing described embodiments of the PSA apparatus or system, and operating such PSA apparatus or system to produce a product gas. Various embodiments for operating a PSA apparatus and system during normal product delivery, shutdown, park and start up modes also are described.

Growing community of inventors

Burnaby, Canada

Andrea C Gibbs